Boot To The Head Nah Nah

Sunday, Aug. 24, 2008 - 12:12 a.m.

Congratulations to Australia's Matthew Mitcham for winning a gold medal in the Ten Meter Platform diving division.

I guess I'm terrible for wanting anybody but Chinese nationals winning gold medals at this year's Olympics.

Or maybe I'm just tired of the lying and the stealing.

In an interview we listened to last night, we heard Jacques Rogge say that it's never been so difficult to cheat before.

John heard that and said "...unless your country is doing it for you."

And before anybody says anything to me along the lines of accusing me of racism, let me say for the record that out of the ten people I trust and love most in the world, half of them are of Chinese extraction, so save it.

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In the Throw The Bum Out department, we have a special Olympic-sized raspberry for tae kwon do competitor Angel Valodia Matos of Cuba, who, along with his coach, has been issued a lifetime ban from all championships sanctioned by the World Taekwondo Federation, along with the performace statistics at the Beijing games expunged.

Why? He disagreed with the official who disqualified him on the basis of being unable to continue his match due to injury, and his reaction was to give the official a kick in the face, which required the official to get stitches.

For those who do not understand the seriousness of this, it's simple: Taekwondo, along with other martial arts, are not something for loose cannons to wield. They are a form of defensive sport, and adherence to authority figures is a never-changing aspect of them. Students of each and every martial arts discipline are told this from day one and are expected to understand this.

I happen to know I have at least two and possibly more regular readers who have a knowledge of martial arts, and I'm inviting them to please weigh in with their own thoughts regarding the ban.

In my own never to be mistaken for humble opinion, there was no other choice but to do what was done.

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That's it for today. Have a good Sunday.

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10 of my readers commented on this entry

art - 2008-08-24 13:00:00
what that cuban did does not in anyway display the disipline and order that you learn and is distilled in you when learning taekwondo. maybe in commie cuba they teach different, i dont know. he should be banned for life. this is a dangerous person, with the knowledge he has, and apparently, he has lost his disipline.
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Alison - 2008-08-24 14:12:00
Martial Arts is a mastery of mind, body and spirit, as such a true master understands that emotional outbursts and disrespect such as demonstrated by the Cuban competitor is unforgivable at the rank he claims, indeed at almost any rank beyond beginner. I think the punishment is appropriate, he does not deserve the privilege of compitition.
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beanie - 2008-08-24 15:11:08
I knew a karate instructor, and discipline was #1 and self-control was #2. Having a temper tantrum and kicking an official in the face is absolutely unacceptable. How did this guy get to the Olympics with such a lack of self-control?? Maybe he just kicked all his opponents... hhahaha
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hysmith - 2008-08-24 20:07:58
There's a lot behind why this could have happened, and much of it has to do with the relative newness of Tae kwan do as a style of its own, and how TKD has evolved since being admitted to the Olympics. All that aside, from the perspective of any martial artist this was appalling. I am a student of shudokan karate. All through my training, the very first thing instilled into all of us, from white belt on, is that control is more important than power. In fact, one of the truisms you'll heard uttered in any dojo is that the most dangerous person on the mat is the yellow belt. They've learned a little bit of technique, but don't have the months or years of constant practice to learn how to control it. In the full-contact arts like TKD and kempo, where a sparring match can sometimes end with a knockout, control is even more crucial. These are people who have learned techniques that make them extremely dangerous; there is a reason why the stereotype in everyone's head is of the "old and wise" master, a calm Zen presence who never raises their voice. It has a modicum of truth to it; without that control, incidents like this (or worse) can happen all too easily. In Washington State the laws regarding self defense even take it into account--if you reveal that you hold a black belt in any martial art, you are required to defend yourself in a non-lethal manner, since it's assumed you have the control. In the Okinawan and Japanese styles, the name of the rank you assume when handed your black belt is "shodan", which loosely translates as "first mastery of basics". That is to say, by the time you earn black belt, you have the basics out of the way; now you can learn the real stuff. This person has demonstrated a distinct lack of mastery--in addition to his sanctions it would be entirely appropriate for his rank to be stripped by the governing body of his school.
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hysmith - 2008-08-24 20:09:51
grumble grmf comment system stripped paragraph markers grmbl mph
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Bob - 2008-08-24 22:23:35
One of my friends holds a black belt in TKD, along with his Kukkiwon certification. The Kukkiwon is the certifying body for dan ranks in TKD, as the World Taekwondo Federation does not issue them. So Matos basically decertified himself and dishonored his teacher as well - if Matos held a black belt, it's gone. If he didn't, he'll never, ever get one. -- As for China, I'm a bit puzzled as to why, when you clearly have some top-notch athletes, that they'd pull something as stupid as this in a specific sport. But there are hard questions that need to be asked, and answers better than, 'Oh, sorry, was clerical error,' should be forthcoming.
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OLD Buddy Dave - 2008-08-25 00:25:44
Most of what I would say has already been said, so I will simply add a personal experience. I was helping my Sensei teach a defensive move. I was to attack another student, and he was to use the move. We had been taught from the beginning to go no deeper than the uniform and no closer than 1/4 inch from the head and face. Well, when the time came Cho lost his control (not his temper, mind you) and punched me square in the jaw. Immediately my Sensei had him turn and kneel, and then checked on me. I was okay, just a little shaken up. Sensei used this as a lesson on what NOT to do. Only then did he have Cho stand and face me. We bowed to each other, and then Cho came forward to apologize...which he did for about 30 seconds straight, despite my reassurances that I was fine. He felt so bad and really felt he'd lost face by punching me. We shook hands and embraced and all was well.

For this asshole to kick a referee - and in the face, which can cause things like, oh, I don't know, DEATH - is absolutely inexcusable. Banning this idiot is a fine punishment. If he has ANY honor, he will use his mistake as a lesson to all students as to what happens when control and discipline aren't maintained.
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Aristocratic Red - 2008-08-25 04:00:23
I have to tell you my Mom and I were watching the first round of team gymnastics together on the phone and we were questioning the ages of those girls ourselves. She found a news article that very day about the age thing, and when she emailed it to me and I looked it up it was gone...just poof! It's all so unfair to the girls that worked their asses off this past year and are of age.
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boxx9000 - 2008-08-25 05:00:02
In the ORIGINAL OLYMPICS, all war stopped and athletes were allowed to compete and then afterwards they could go back to fighting. Wouldn't you think in 2008 we could be as civilized? Also, the Olympics were for MEN ONLY and they competed completely nekid (!!) One other little factoid for you, Drama, debate, and story telling were part of the original Olympics. The mind AND body were BOTH valued. There's no point in crying NO FAIR, it's unsportsmanlike, no? Too much emphasis is put on win or lose rather than the ART of doing one's best. I was in San Francisco tonight, on Leavenworth near the top of Lombard. The bridge was SPECATACULAR tonight against the sunset. BREATHTAKING. If you would rather I do NOT comment, then just delete me. No hurt feelings. really.
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Brin - 2008-08-25 05:05:08
I wouldn't dream of deleting you. The athlete in question most certainly did not do his best. If he'd done his best, he would still hold a belt and still be allowed to compete, wouldn't he? And I happened to lean out the window and see that very sunset! I agree, it was one of the prettiest sunsets in ages!
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